Tag Archives: Mercury retrograde

Big Thanks: Sagittarius, Jupiter and the Gemini Full Moon

Catching What Shakes Out of the Ethers

By Amanda Painter

Today and tomorrow are busy days astrologically. The combination of events involved suggests that tracking your inner emotional and mental landscape (or monologue) is equally important as keeping tabs on what is going on around you personally and culturally — perhaps even more so; though the moments when external and internal intersect could also be key. Here are the main events:

No. 2 from Group IV of “the ten biggest ones”; tempera on paper over canvas by Hilma af Klint (1862-1944). Her “Paintings for the Temple” relate to inner processes as conveyed in meditation via spiritual entities.

Mars is leaving Aquarius after a long sojourn in that sign — about six months, thanks to its retrograde, not counting a few weeks in Capricorn this summer. It finally dives into Pisces at 5:21 pm EST (22:20:42 UTC) today. About eight hours before Mars makes its move, we get the first quarter Moon (Aquarius Moon to Scorpio Sun, late in their signs).

Tomorrow, Venus stations direct in Libra after its own month-and-a-half or so of retrograde motion, most of which was in Scorpio. Venus makes its apparent pivot at 5:51 am EST (10:50:58 UTC). About 15 hours later, Mercury stations retrograde in Sagittarius at 8:33 pm EST (1:33:06 UTC Saturday).

That’s a lot to have happening all at once with the so-called personal planets: the bodies that represent such attributes as our motivation, physical activity and sex drive (Mars); our emotions, receptivity and intimate relationships (Venus); and our thought processes, communication and communication technology (Mercury). And although the monthly cycles of the Moon (emotions and subconscious) are perhaps less striking, the sense of moving into gear that can accompany the first quarter is certainly coloring the background.

As a result of all this, it would seem that the first order of business for the next few days is simply to stay tuned in — to your experiences, to your responses to others, to any little insights or pieces of information that come your way, to any urges or tugs of intuition, to the sensation that you’re finally answering a question you’ve been grappling with a while, and to the arrival of new questions. Standard protocol for Mercury stationing is to notice when your attention to the task at hand has lapsed so you can refocus; but with all that’s going on, it could be just as enlightening to note what other thought your mind was occupied with at that moment.

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Integration and a Mercury Station

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By Amanda Painter

Although the astrology has been relatively quiet this first week following the eclipse season, I’ve definitely noticed a sense of things still feeling unsettled. Some of that may relate to Mercury and Mars still retrograde but nearing their respective direct stations. Some of it could be due to the fact that no matter how pivotal events like eclipses can be, we still have to figure out how to integrate them into the unbroken continuum of our daily lives — and of social contexts with much longer arcs.

Babbling brook at Camp Timber Trails, Tolland, MA. Photo by Amanda Painter.

For its part, Mercury will station direct in Leo this Sunday, Aug. 19, at 12:25 am EDT (4:24:38 UTC). Mars, which is now in late Capricorn, will station direct eight days later, on Monday, Aug. 27.

Both planets are slow right now, which according to astrological tradition, means they’re more powerful. This does not mean that they ‘make you do things’, but more that their significance is heightened. Slow, powerful, stormy Mercury may churn something up so that it comes more clearly to your attention; determined-but-frustrated stormy Mars could be asking you to understand your motivation and desires with absolute clarity before you charge ahead with them.

Inner planets stationing direct — along with events like eclipses — are often key times to notice themes in world events. Even if you’re not sure there’s a strong thematic link, it can be worthwhile to notice what grabs your attention and the headlines. I must confess, last week I just could not bring myself to deal with the news, despite that kind of contextualization being a hallmark of Planet Waves astrology writing. But as this week has progressed, a few particular stories have caught my eye.

Given how much news coverage is about disasters, it’s no surprise that many of the items I noticed are not uplifting — though there are a couple. Take, for example, reports on Wednesday that the last of Puerto Rico’s homes have had electricity restored.

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From There to Here, and Onward: Leo New Moon Eclipse

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By Amanda Painter

On Saturday, Aug. 11, we’ll experience a partial solar eclipse with the Leo New Moon. This is the third and final eclipse of the current series. In modern Western astrology, eclipses are associated with the path forward into purpose — though a sense of purpose can be hard to come by with so much distraction and difficulty in the world, and at our fingertips.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

I say that eclipses are associated with purpose because when the Sun and Moon make their conjunction at 5:58 am EDT (9:58 UTC) on Saturday, they’ll be roughly conjunct the lunar North Node.

The Nodes are continually moving invisible points that represent the intersection between the path the Sun appears to make around the Earth from our perspective, and the Moon’s actual orbit.

When a Full or New Moon occurs near these points, we get an eclipse. In astrology, the South Node is associated with ‘karma’ — which you can also think of as overdeveloped character traits or comfortable habits that impede your growth, if you’re not into the idea of past lives. We associate the North Node with underdeveloped qualities or the life lessons necessary for growth — things that can also be thought of as your ‘soul’s path forward’ or ‘dharma’.

Dharma can also be translated as “acting as if to hold the world together” — or, as Eric wrote recently, “acting as if to hold the world.” No single person can actually, literally accomplish the feat of holding the world together. Yet what each of us can do is to be as conscientious as we can about always living our values and ethics; to behave with empathy, generosity and responsibility; to make choices that cause ourselves and others the least possible harm and greatest good; and being willing to move continually closer to what feels like a life lived with clear purpose.

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Between Eclipses, and Finding the Unknown

Mercury Direct, Aries New Moon, and What’s Next

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By Amanda Painter

If you’re feeling a little on edge this week, you won’t be surprised that astrological events are offering a picture of why that might be. Topping the list are Mercury moving through its ‘storm’ phase prior to stationing direct on Sunday; the Aries New Moon Sunday night; and Chiron in the last degree of Pisces (it enters Aries two days later, on April 17).

Faux fire in Grand Cayman; photo by Amanda Painter.

Although New Moons generally are not considered ‘edgy’ astrology, this one is special, as the Sun and Moon make their conjunction nestled between the disruptive, chaotic influences of Uranus and Eris.

With a waning Moon often indicating a sense of lower personal energy, it would not be surprising if you’re feeling a little less able to deal with the onslaughts of modern life in the digital age right now. That said, there’s still intriguing potential in the current astrology. For one thing, hopefully this Mercury retrograde phase through Aries has offered you a fruitful review of certain decisions, actions, desires and ways of seeing yourself (what you think of as your identity).

Recognizing those openings for insight sometimes asks for a higher level of awareness than what we’re able to muster, however — especially if one is in the thick of a communication crisis, car breakdown, financial mess or other stressful, complex situation. That’s okay. Hindsight is often when we’re able to get some perspective, not when we’re in the middle of things (though sometimes that happens, and it can save a lot of angst).

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Small, Meaningful Moves

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By Amanda Painter

We’re moving into the last half of Mercury’s current retrograde in Aries — and the contacts Mercury is making this week seem to be stirring things up for many people. If you’ve been feeling a sense of pressure lately, this astrology could be why.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

A combined square between Mercury in Aries and Mars and Saturn in Capricorn continues to be in effect today. Mercury square Mars was exact on Wednesday, and Mercury square Saturn is exact today — though they are really one event.

This aspect pattern is an image of tension — especially with Mercury in a hot, fiery, action-oriented sign, and its retrograde motion describing an inward direction (for at least some of that energy). If you’re feeling frustrated, you might notice how much of that energy is directed at yourself, versus how much of it you’re projecting (or unleashing) onto others.

Lots of people fall into negative thought loops when they have trouble expressing their anger and annoyance; that said, it’s also becoming more common for people to seek an outlet on social media. If that tends to be your go-to, you might notice whether people’s comments in response actually help you to transmute your frustration, or whether it serves to amplify it. There are reasons why social media is often referred to as an ‘echo chamber’ — though sometimes we do truly just need to say what we have to say and know that we’ve been heard and empathized with.

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Working and Communicating with the Libra Full Moon

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By Amanda Painter

Are you feeling both determined and frustrated this week? The sky is not only building to a Full Moon in Libra on Saturday, there’s some additional astrology that may be testing the balance between what you desire, what you feel obligated to do, and what’s actually reasonable to try to accomplish.

Tropical flora on Grand Cayman; photo by Amanda Painter.

The good thing about this kind of setup is that when there is friction or opposition from others, it can actually help you get clear on your priorities.

When everything is easy and everyone is mellow, it can be harder to get focused or fired up for what needs to happen. That said, even if you think you know what you want, current aspects suggest it’s wise to try on different perspectives, to listen closely to what others are expressing (including reading between the lines), and to move ahead with a measured pace.

The chart for this week’s Full Moon speaks to all of these factors, in multiple ways. Exact at 8:37 am EDT on March 31 (12:37 UTC), it has the Moon in early-mid Libra opposite the Sun and retrograde Mercury in Aries.

Straight away, Mercury both retrograde and so close to the Sun (they form a conjunction on Sunday, marking the midpoint of the retrograde), signals that checking one’s perspective is wise. Particularly in Aries, are you sure you are seeing beyond yourself and what you want?

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